


Little Things are Different

by Solitae



Series: My Janaya Week [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Communication, F/F, Intimacy, Janaya Week, Janaya Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:14:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22409287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitae/pseuds/Solitae
Summary: A conversation about communication in bed turns deeper for Janai and Amaya, with both of them looking at the communication challenges they have.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince)
Series: My Janaya Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607077
Comments: 20
Kudos: 154
Collections: Intimacy





	Little Things are Different

**Author's Note:**

> My late submission for Janaya Week 2020  
> Prompt: Intimacy
> 
> Thanks to aithne for letting me adapt the signal system a couple of our RP characters use, and thanks to lexa_lives_in_us for helping me redirect when I got stuck

Janai felt entirely melted into the bed with her limbs heavy and Amaya draped over her. Resting there, skin to skin and sated for the moment, she luxuriated in the sensation of Amaya’s lips lazily grazing her collarbone as the woman’s hand curled over her hip. Janai’s eyes lidded as she dragged her nails over Amaya’s scalp and tipped her head to press her lips to her general’s forehead. 

Somehow, in only a few weeks of knowing each other, they had ended up in this tender place together, soft out of the view of the public eye. At first, Janai had expected they would come together and get whatever this was out of their systems, that Amaya would enjoy the companionship and little more, but Amaya had made it clear that it was so much more than that. 

As Janai’s fingertips trailed down the back of Amaya’s neck, she soaked up the woman’s shiver and chuckled when Amaya pressed into her, her muscled thigh flexing against Janai’s. It was strange to think that this was perhaps the beginning of something far more than Janai had thought possible, but if it was, there were things Janai needed to understand better.

Janai caught Amaya’s chin with her fingers and tipped her head to look at her. The woman pouted at being lifted from her kisses, and Janai could not help laughing softly and stroking that pout with her thumb. Amaya’s expression turned to a grin, and she caught Janai’s thumb between her lips. The way her tongue flicked it sent a jolt through Janai that pooled in her stomach. 

With a shiver, she grinned at Amaya in return. “Can I ask you about something?”

Amaya nodded quickly and tilted her head. 

For a moment, Janai pursed her lips as she tried to put her thoughts into words. “Is there a better way for me to ask if I should keep going?” Blood rushed to her cheeks. It sounded ridiculous. “Mostly I just-” Janai interrupted herself with a sigh and held Amaya’s eyes. “I do not like to push you to open your eyes when you are-” 

The twinkle in Amaya’s eyes told her that the woman had grasped her question, and Amaya stole a quick kiss before sitting up next to her, her legs folded tailor-style. Her general’s calloused hands caught one of Janai’s, and she brought it to rest palm on her knee.

Janai rolled onto her side and propped her head up with her free hand, her attention focusing on Amaya. She watched as Amaya traced one finger up from the ball of her thumb, curving the line across below her fingers and down the other side. She did it twice, drawing a quick semi-circle.

When Janai lifted an eyebrow at her, she grinned.  _ “It’s a question, like ‘do you like this?’ But it’s not that specific.”  _

That made Janai’s brain hurt. “What do you mean?”

Amaya ran her fingers through her hair as she tipped her head from side to side.  _ “It’s a yes or no question. It’s a way to check if someone likes what’s going on.”  _

“Ohhh, I see. Is it just on the hand?” Janai could imagine doing that somewhere else and the meaning changing entirely.

With a quick shake of her head, Amaya drew the semi-circle on Janai’s wrist, and her skin prickled.  _ “It’s not like that. It’s something I made up when I started having sex with people.”  _ A silent laugh shook her.  _ “I got so distracted I forgot to teach you.” _

A giggle shook Janai, and she turned her hand to draw the shape experimentally on Amaya’s thigh. The sharp grin that Amaya flashed her made her purr, and Janai curled toward her, dropping a kiss on her knee. Amaya took the opportunity to trace a light half-circle between her shoulder blades that made Janai groan against her. It certainly seemed like a useful thing.

Amaya tapped her shoulder to urge Janai to look up.  _ “There are answers too.”  _

Of course there were. It would be silly to have the question with no answers. Janai wriggled against her. “Show me?”

With a chuckle, Amaya traced a slow X on her own thigh before drawing it on Janai’s upper arm.  _ “That one means no. As in I don’t like what you’re doing, but it doesn’t mean stop entirely.”  _

Janai blinked. “What means stop entirely?” She should have asked for that before now, but then Amaya had never been anything other than completely enthusiastic about their time together. 

_ “This.”  _ Amaya used two fingers to tap Janai’s shoulder three times in quick succession.

“Oh! Like in sparring?”

Amaya nodded.  _ “I thought you would recognize that if I ever used it.”  _

It was a fair assumption. They had actually established that one in sparring before they ever fell into bed together. Janai rubbed her cheek again Amaya’s knee as she nodded. “I would have.” 

_ “And there are two others. Slow down or be careful is this-”  _ Amaya slowly traced a zigzag pattern over her thigh, then on Janai’s arm again. 

Janai could already feel the difference. The second one was an unbroken touch while the X had a point where Amaya lifted her finger. Janai copied the pattern on Amaya’s thigh and flushed when the woman grinned down at her.

_ “And the one I use the most-”  _ Those dark eyes twinkled as Amaya drew a circle both on her leg and Janai’s arm. 

That one also felt very different from the other two, and Janai grinned. “You will use that the most, hmmm? That means ‘yes’?”

Amaya nodded with a wicked look.  _ “You want to practice?” _

\------------

When Janai smirked and traced a lazy zigzag over Amaya’s calf, Amaya lifted an eyebrow at her. What was there to be cautious about? Had Janai misunderstood the signals?

“That is all of them, correct?” The elf rested her head on Amaya’s knee as she looked up at her.

Amaya nodded and trailed her fingers lightly over Janai’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of her skin. Those had always been enough to serve the purpose before. 

Janai dropped a kiss on her knee, snuggling into her leg. “Can I suggest more?”

Amaya blinked. She had not been expecting an addition. Usually people were glad not to have to worry about it more than that.  _ “Of course.”  _

Janai held her eyes as the elf explored her calf with light touches. “I think we need one that acknowledges the other ones, one that means ‘I understand’ or something like that.” 

Blood actually crept into Amaya’s cheeks, and her breath caught slightly. It made sense, of course. That was what struck her, along with a half-forgotten memory of creating signs with Sarai when they were children. 

Janai sat up with worry in her eyes and touched Amaya’s cheek with her warm palm. “Did I say something wrong?”

The gold paint on her face accentuated every bit of concern in her expression, and Amaya curled forward, pressing her forehead against Janai’s. She wound her fingers over the elf’s and squeezed them gently before dropping a kiss on her palm.  _ “No.”  _

Janai pulled back to look at her, the woman’s fingertips brushing her chin. “What is it?”

Amaya closed her eyes for a moment and drew a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she gave Janai a lopsided smile.  _ “I’m not sure we have the words for it.”  _

“Try?” Janai tucked stray strands of Amaya’s hair behind her ear. “We can resort to fingerspelling if we have to. Or there’s paper in my desk.” 

For a long moment, all Amaya could do was stare into the elf’s golden eyes, feeling her intense need to understand. Amaya traced over one of the lines of her paint with a light touch as she took another deep breath.  _ “That. All of that. You want to talk.”  _

Janai’s eyebrow shot up. “Is that a bad thing?”

_ “No!”  _ Amaya jumped in before Janai could start too far down that path.  _ “It’s good. It’s really good. You try so hard.”  _

A frown crossed Janai’s lips. “Of course I do. Why would I not do that?”

Amaya lifted one shoulder.  _ “It’s hard.”  _

“It is hard?” There was disbelief in Janai’s eyes, and Amaya could tell from the way her chest moved, a half-laugh came with the words. “Amaya, we are working to restore my people and fix the Sunforge. I am not afraid of hard work.”

_ “I know, but those are big things.” _ Amaya swallowed and brushed her knee against Janai’s.  _ “Little things are different. You have to do them over and over and over.”  _

For a long moment, Janai fixed her eyes on Amaya’s face, and Amaya stared back at her, both of them trying to take in everything in the other’s face. 

“I want to do the little things over and over.” Janai caught her chin again, the strength of her grip reminding Amaya of the first time she’d done so, and while her expression was just as fierce, Amaya knew the intensity came from a different source. “I want to make sure you can say what you need to say to me. I want to understand your voice  _ however _ you want to communicate with me."

With a swallow, Amaya nodded, pressing into Janai’s fingers. Her hands trembled when she lifted them to sign.  _ “That reminds me of my sister.” _

“Oh.” Janai stopped breathing for a few seconds. “That is a good thing, yes?”

Amaya nodded quickly, trying to ignore that her lashes felt damp.  _ “A very good thing.”  _

Janai, of course, had no interest in ignoring Amaya’s damp lashes, and she reached up to cup Amaya’s cheeks. Amaya let her eyes close so the elf could drop soft kisses on her eyelids, and she slid an arm around Janai’s waist. It took only the faintest tug for Janai to follow her down to the bed again, the two of them stretching out facing each other. 

Amaya nestled into her chest and felt the faint thump of Janai’s heart against her cheek as the elf wound her arms around Amaya’s shoulders. Her long fingers kneaded down Amaya’s back. Tension that had risen in her shoulders and back started to melt away, and she buried her face between Janai’s breasts, breathing her in. 

It still took Amaya by surprise how safe she felt there, how she could feel old heartaches and let them go with the sweep of Janai’s fingers over her skin. All she needed was a few breaths against Janai’s chest to feel steady again, and Janai’s fingers slipping into her hair helped. Amaya tipped her head back into Janai’s hand and brushed her lips over the elf’s chin.

Janai looked down at her with a soft smile and stroked her thumb under Amaya’s eye. “Are you okay?”

The earnestness in Janai’s eyes sent warmth through Amaya, and she nodded. As she leaned into the woman’s gentle touch, Amaya held Janai’s eyes for a long moment.  _ “For ‘I understand’-”  _

Amaya lifted her eyebrows in a question then simply pressed the tip of her index finger against Janai’s skin, holding it steady for a few seconds before releasing it. 

Janai tipped her head. “Or what about this?” The elf lightly flicked her index finger up Amaya’s bicep then ended with the press Amaya had suggested. 

When Amaya looked at her hand, she noticed how Janai was holding the rest of her fingers in a closed circle.  _ “You made it closer to ‘I understand’.” _ Amaya couldn’t help grinning, and when Janai ducked her head with a blush, Amaya laughed silently.

Amaya caught Janai’s chin and brought the elf’s eyes to meet her own. For a long moment, she simply held Janai’s eyes, letting all of her adoration and gratitude rise in her expression, letting Janai see her damp lashes without looking away.

Janai’s breath caught, and she cupped Amaya’s cheek. Amaya could feel her taking it all in, and she could feel the heat rise on her own cheeks, but she kept her gaze on Janai steady. Janai’s other hand stroked over her arm, and Amaya felt her flick her index finger lightly up her bicep before landing in a firm press.

_ I understand. _


End file.
